/crime
(CNN) -- A federal judge sentenced a Utah man on Wednesday to two years of probation after he failed to report his cousin for producing the deadly toxin ricin.
Thomas Tholen, 54, pleaded guilty in August to concealing his knowledge of the toxin from authorities. In addition to the probation, U.S. District Judge Tena Campbell imposed a $500 fine, said Melodie Rydalch, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office in Salt Lake City.
Roger Von Bergendorff, Tholen's cousin, pleaded guilty in August to charges of possession of a biological toxin and possession of unregistered firearms. The plea came six months after Bergendorff was hospitalized with symptoms of ricin poisoning.
Ricin is a toxic byproduct of castor beans that is capable of killing body cells.
Tholen, of Riverton, Utah, repeatedly told Las Vegas, Nevada, authorities and the FBI that he knew nothing about any ricin, only to admit later that he had been lying, prosecutors said.
Tholen could have received up to 14 months in prison, but got a reduced sentence for cooperating with investigators, Rydalch said.
Bergendorff was living at an extended-stay hotel in Las Vegas when he fell ill, authorities said. Two weeks later, Tholen discovered the toxin when he went to Bergendorff's hotel to collect his belongings, prosecutors alleged.
Federal agents who searched the room later found guns, a collection of instructions on poisons and castor beans, syringes and beakers. A related search of storage units in Utah found more castor beans, chemicals used in the production of ricin, laboratory equipment and a respirator and filters.
Bergendorff is scheduled to be sentenced on November 3.
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